Newsletter Peterborough Art Society 14th December 2016.
Dear Member,
Autumn has mellowed into Winter presenting stimulating challenges to painters. The range of winter colours makes me want to reach for my pastels to catch the subtle colours, the low sun, just over the horizon, muted shades and long shadows.
This is my last newsletter as your Chairman. I would like to take this opportunity to say that I have enjoyed this role immensely for four years and it has been a great pleasure to work with the membership and the committee. The newsletter will continue with several members contributing to it.
Our Vice Chairman, Phil Hemsley, will be reporting on ongoing exhibitions and our figure drawing with Peterborough Symphony Orchestra at rehearsal. Information from our programme secretary, Kate Paskin, will be included, regarding our programme, together with the consultation evenings to build into it your hopes and needs. Kate has developed an excellent, diverse programme spanning a two-year cycle.
Bernard Singer, our Treasurer, will do a final edit of the newsletter, however we need one of the members to write an introduction, comment on anything outside the items above and to end the letter. Carole Boyer, our secretary, will distribute it as she does currently.
Carole has put all our news letters on our new web site. This will provide a lovely view of an active, warm and friendly art society, the range of its activities and a view of how we have developed and refined our practice. There are some remarkable paintings in the members’ gallery.
Our recent committee meeting was to plan the AGM.
It is proposed that we identify a range of small working party tasks, as we did last year. I would like to thank those members who undertook to set up the hall and make our refreshments.
Bernard has kindly agreed to create the rota for opening the hall, and locking up.
In addition to the above, new small working party tasks could include,
· Creating a rota for plein air painting
· Supporting the links with other paintings groups- to share the programme and exhibition opportunities, thus enlarging the range of demonstrations and workshops available and the opportunity to exhibit in a city centre location.
Carole Boyer undertakes all the planning and much of the preparation for our exhibitions. It is very important that we identify a PAS member to work shadow Carole in these pivotal events. Not only is it prudent to have a contingency arrangement in place it is also an opportunity to work together on the most important events of the year. Planning the exhibitions and supporting the arrangements is in itself an intrinsically interesting and worthwhile experience.
In the mean-time please do consider some of the activities outlined, they are all inclusive, with much support, for the greater good and are easily achieved.
As I am standing down we need a new Chairman. Please do give some thought to taking on this position as it is an exciting and compelling role. I have enjoyed identifying and setting our direction of travel and creating an agenda, working with other groups for our mutual benefit and setting up opportunities to work together and share our thinking and experience.
The elements of the Chairman’s role include :-
· Setting the agenda, Chairing meetings, identifying important issues to carry forward the business of the society.
· Greeting the demonstrators, presenting and concluding the demonstrations meetings
· Gathering feed-back from events, demonstrations and workshops to feed into the programme planning.
· Securing the wellbeing of the group, ensuring that it is warm, friendly and engaged and above all rewarding.
+++++++++Report from Kate+++++++++
A most enjoyable Christmas Celebration on 5th December brings our 2016 Season
to a close.
I do hope you have enjoyed the various demonstrations which hopefully catered
for all tastes. David Wilcox not only created a super watercolour painting of the
dancers but created a fantastic atmosphere too, everyone had a smile on their
face. I don't think David realises how amusing he is without even trying. On the
strength of that he is booked for next August too, a date for your diary. Ian
McManus also generated a great deal of interest, should there be sufficient
demand a workshop can be arranged, either independently or together with
Castor Art Society. Revenue is tight and as they must now be self sufficient, prices for workshops will have to rise a little, enlarging the numbers does not work as it leaves too little
demonstrator time with each member.
I am always listening for members suggestions for new demonstrators, together
hopefully we can continue to make an interesting and varied programme.
Have a Wonderful Christmas and best wishes for a happy and healthy New Year.
Kate Paskin
+++++++++End of Report+++++++++
Thank you all for your friendship and good humour over the years and I wish you a very merry Christmas and joyful painting in the New Year.
Best wishes
Pat Jacques.